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Education Is Not A Race
Science 24
June 2011:
Vol.
332 no. 6037 p. 1481
DOI:
10.1126/science.1209339
EDITORIAL
Deborah
Stipek
Deborah
Stipek is dean of the Stanford University School of Education,
Stanford, CA 94305.
E-mail:
stipek@stanford.edu.
In
the United States and elsewhere, the competitive pressures placed on
young people in school are damaging many otherwise promising lives. In
addition
to generating debilitating anxiety and encouraging a culture of
cheating, this
competition takes the joy out of learning. The film Race to Nowhere,
which
continues to receive attention since its release a year ago, documents
the
unhealthy consequences of the competitive “teach to the test” climate
that many
U.S. students experience. The film, in which I was interviewed, puts in
clear
relief the pressures that youth are under to amass large numbers of
Advanced
Placement (college-equivalent) classes, win science fairs, excel in the
arts
and sports, and in other ways distinguish themselves from the
competition for
admission into a few select universities that parents and schools
believe are
critical for future success. Research on motivation makes it clear that
focusing attention entirely on performance, whether grades or test
scores,
destroys whatever intrinsic interest the subject matter might have
had.* There
are certainly students whose passions spur them to realize their full
potential
in rigorous academic courses and other impressive activities. But how
many
potential Nobel Prize winners have written off science before the end
of high
school because their only exposure to the subject had been in test
preparation
courses rather than in classes that delved into meaningful questions?
It
doesn't have to be this way, but change will require coordinated
efforts at
many levels.
Success
in life does not require a degree from one of 10 universities. We
need to evaluate U.S. high schools (pre-college education) on how well
they help
students find a college that matches their interests and goals, not on
the
proportion of students that they send to elite institutions. And the
coveted
universities need to demonstrate that they are interested in students
who have
a genuine passion for extending their educational experience, not
merely in
tallying items on resumés.
Many
U.S. teachers also must change their approach to teaching. Extensive
research shows that students will become more emotionally engaged (and
even
passionate) if simple principles are followed: if the subject matter is
connected to students' personal lives and interests; if students have
opportunities to be actively involved in solving or designing solutions
to
novel and multidimensional problems, doing experiments, debating the
implications of findings, or working collaboratively; if students have
multiple
opportunities to earn a good grade (by rewriting papers or retaking
tests); if
attention is drawn to the knowledge and skills that students are
developing,
not to grades or scores; and if all learning and skill development is
celebrated, whatever the level.
Schools
must create homework policies to ensure that diligent students
aren't kept up late into the night; schedule some spacing between major
tests
and offer ample opportunities for students to get extra help; make sure
that at
least one adult is paying attention to every student's emotional needs;
provide
parent education on the advantages of a broad array of potential
colleges;
survey students regularly on the sources of their stress and make sure
that
this feedback informs policies; and offer opportunities for students to
pursue
academic interests unencumbered by performance concerns, such as in
independent
studies or clubs.
The
world is rapidly changing. Problem-solving skills and critical
analysis have become infinitely more important than being able to
answer the
typical questions given on standardized tests. A valuable science of
teaching
and learning exists that should guide efforts to improve students'
interest,
engagement, and intellectual skills, as well as reduce the debilitating
stress
that is becoming epidemic.** Only by paying attention to what we know
can we
make the changes that youth need to lead healthy and productive lives.
↵*
Motivation in Education: Theory, Research, and Applications
(Pearson/Merrill
Prentice Hall, ed. 3, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2007).
↵**
National Research Council, Engaging Schools: Fostering High School
Students'
Motivation to Learn (National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2003).
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